Michael Tate, who served as a senator for Tasmania and Minister for Justice in the Hawke and Keating governments, is being remembered for his lifelong dedication to others following his passing at the age of 80.
After a long career in politics, he served as Australia’s ambassador to the Netherlands and the Holy See, and later joined the priesthood. A respected Tasmanian LGBTIQA+ rights activist has also revealed that Tate was a member of the LGBTIQA+ community and had worried about being outed by activists while he was in office.
Michael Tate grew up in Hobart and studied law at the University of Tasmania. He attributed his academic success to spending many hours in the library during his youth, as he was unable to participate in sporting activities following a serious road accident in 1963. He later gained a Master of Arts in theology at Oxford University.
He lectured in law at the University of Tasmania, rising to become dean of the faculty. In 1977 he was elected to the federal parliament as a senator representing Tasmania and was returned to Canberra at three subsequent elections. He served as Minister for Justice from 1987 until 1993 as part of the Hawke and Keating governments.
In 1987, Tate played a key role in establishing the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and, following the Hoddle Street and Queen Street mass shootings in Melbourne, in initiating a national review of gun control laws.
Rodney Croome, one of Australia’s most prominent LGBTIQA+ rights campaigners, has recalled how activists and the media at the time would reveal the sexuality of prominent people against their wishes.
“I publicly disavowed the strategy. We were fighting for the right to privacy and it made no sense to violate the privacy of others. Forced outing had harmed too many LGBTIQA people for us to legitimise it,” Croome shared in a social media post.
“A prominent national politician from Tasmania was relieved enough that he approached me in a Hobart cafe to thank me. I said he need not. It was a matter of principle for me.
“But I understood why he was concerned. Not long before, there was media speculation that a senior member of the Hawke government was gay. It was still considered scandalous that a homosexual was pulling the levers of state power and making decisions about people’s lives. It was the same man,” Croome said, revealing that Michael Tate was the politician in question.
Croome shared that he had known Tate since his teenage years, first meeting him when he was working in a Coles supermarket, and later getting to know him at small community parties within Tasmania’s tightly knit gay community.
Croome noted that during his time as Justice Minister, Tate signed Australia up to the international instrument that would later allow Tasmania’s anti-gay laws to be challenged at the United Nations.
After Tate resigned from the Senate, he was appointed ambassador to the Netherlands and the Holy See. During his final audience with Pope John Paul II, the pontiff inquired about Tate’s next posting, and Tate shared that he planned to study for the priesthood. In May 2000, he was ordained at St Mary’s Cathedral in Hobart.
During his time in the priesthood, Father Tate was tasked with lobbying MPs to support John Howard’s ban on same-sex marriage, something Croome described as infuriating to some of Tate’s former Labor colleagues.
“I wish it had been possible for Michael to be more open, for his achievements as a Labor minister to be seen as that of a shrewd, cultured and big-hearted gay man, and for his priestly vocation to be a shining example of the immense contribution LGBTIQA people make to the church, to the community and to spiritual life,” Croome said.
“Hopefully, society has changed enough, and found the necessary generosity of heart, to allow that legacy to be claimed for Michael now he is no longer with us,” he added.
Croome also shared that in his later years, Tate would often speak about how the lives of LGBTIQA+ people had improved over the decades, especially in Tasmania.
Michael Tate also hoped that community members were aware of the Camino he pioneered in the Huon Valley. Inspired by and modelled on the famous Camino de Santiago, this two-day pilgrim walk will next occur on Saturday 9 January 2027.
Tasmania Premier Jeremy Rockliff also remembered Father Michael Tate fondly.
“Father Tate brought intellect, integrity and humanity to every role he held,” the Premier said. “He served Tasmania and Australia with distinction in public life, always guided by a deep sense of justice and responsibility.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also offered his condolences.
“As we mourn the passing of Michael Tate, we honour a life dedicated to social justice.” the Prime Minister said in a social media post. “In politics, diplomacy and the priesthood, Michael Tate combined a formidable intellect, passionate advocacy and a profound sense of humanity.”
“Michael possessed the courage and conscience to engage with the big issues and the humility to acknowledge their complexity. Long before he was ordained, he practiced what he preached.”
Archbishop of Hobart, Tony Ireland, who administered the last rites shortly before Father Michael’s passing, said he was a generous and faithful pastor.
“In many ways Fr Michael was one of a kind, gifted intellectually, a powerful communicator, and an extraordinarily generous and faithful pastor who loved his people,” Archbishop Ireland said.
